Following public comment periods in two separate cases, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has approved final consent orders settling charges that iSpring Water Systems, LLC, a Georgia-based distributor of water filtration systems, and Block Division, Inc., a Texas-based distributor of pulley block systems, made misleading Made-in-the-USA claims. Read more

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I think every brand out there should be a sustainable brand. If you’re not thinking about the future, especially the future outside of just your fashion brand, you shouldn’t be taking on the responsibility of creating products; the impact your work has on this earth is undeniable. Read more

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In a recent study conducted by Consumer Reports, more than 60 percent of people interviewed claimed they would gladly shell out more money for American made products—even if those products cost an average of 10 percent more than products sourced internationally. Read more

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Two California consumers sued one of Kentucky’s best-known distilleries, saying Maker’s Mark tries to spike demand and sticker prices by falsely promoting and advertising its bourbon as being handmade.

When Gala Inc. founders Galina and Michael Sobolev began shifting their production for their contemporary line,Single, back to the United States about six years ago, there were several compelling reasons to bring manufacturing home.

LA LABEL: Every piece in the Single collection has a label that reads “Single Los Angeles,” and the company’s hangtags read “Made in USA.”

Domestic production gave them the ability to produce quickly and fill reorders. There is an existing production base in the region and the move could help retain U.S. jobs, which was important for the Ukrainian-born Sobolevs, who both emigrated as children from the former Soviet Union, meeting many years later in Los Angeles.“I’m from Odessa and Michael is from Donetsk,” said Galina Sobolev, the designer behind Single. “We’ve lived in this country for 37 years. We both felt very strongly about giving back to the community and giving back to this country.”

The company had always kept a portion of its production local to allow for quick turn and reorder business. “The majors really loved that we could do that,” Galina Sobolev said. “[But] at one point when the production of all our silks got really huge, we were doing maybe 60 percent domestically and our China production went up to 40 percent.”

The husband-and-wife team began investigating what it would take to move all production back to America.

“We started pricing some of the product,” Galina Sobolev said. “The difference was so insignificant that we decided to absorb it into the cost. [We said,] ‘For the amount of profit that we’re going to lose by producing in the U.S., we’d rather forgo the extra money and create jobs here for local factories.’”

These days, 100 percent of the Single collection is produced in the United States with the exception of a few labor-intensive items in the Holiday collections, such as beaded dresses made in India. And the move has paid off—particularly among Single’s international retailers.“We have a lot of Canadian customers who are very interested in the fact that the product is made in the USA,” Sobolev said. “And we have a lot of European customers. In Belgium and Germany, they are very adamant. If the whole collection is made in USA, they triple their orders.”

Domestic manufacturing has allowed the company to fill reorders when a style suddenly takes off for a retailer. “Our edge is the fact that we can turn goods in two to three weeks, which nobody in China can do,” Sobolev said. “For clients such as some of the onliners, they can chase business.”

That was the case recently for one retailer that purchased a few stock inventory pieces from a previous collection to sell online. The retailer bought 18 units of one dress style—“That’s all we had in stock,” Sobolev said—and oversold it by 390 units. Fortunately, Sobolev was able to secure the fabric from the original local vendor and quickly put the reorder into production.

“From the day of the order to the day it [left] our door it was 11 days. And we just got another reorder from them for, I think, 460 pieces of the same dress,” she said.

“They had an 83 percent sell-through, and they even sold out of it online,” she said. “We were able to do a quick reorder for them for 60 or 80 units. Just the fact that we can do this so quickly and they’re able to reorder, it’s very exciting for them. This is the kind of edge domestic manufacturing allows us.”

Spread The Word
Every piece in the Single collection has a label that reads “Single Los Angeles.” Each item has a hangtag that reads “Made in USA,” although Sobolev said she’s planning to change that to read “Proudly Made in USA.” The linesheets, lookbook and website will also soon have “Made in USA” prominently displayed. At the Single showroom in Atlanta, the sales staff display signs that read “This Collection Is Made in USA.”

“The buyers get very excited when they find out that the collection is Made in USA—especially in our Midwest territories and in the South and Southeast,” Sobolev said. “At the regional markets, it’s the first thing my sales team tells every buyer that walks in.”

Sobolev frequently attends the regional markets in Dallas and Atlanta, as well as the New York Market five times per year.

“In New York, nobody cares where things are made, honestly. It’s all about the price,” she said. “I’m getting the most support for made in USA from Texas, from Louisiana, from specialty stores in the Carolinas.”

Much of the Single collection is made using European fabrics, but Sobolev looks for domestic resources, as well. “We have one lace that we have been running for about 10 years now. It’s a very vital part of our Holiday collections,” she said. “It’s made in this little factory in New Jersey. The machine itself is about 200 years old [and] imported from England. And it’s a beautiful re-embroidered lace. It looks like [a high-end Italian] lace, but it’s a lace that can be worked into our contemporary price points.”

Sobolev said some retailers ask if the company will source a style overseas to reduce the price.

“Of course, everyone is price-sensitive these days,” she said. “But sometimes we have to put our foot down and say, ‘Sorry, we can’t make it at that price. However, we can do it at this price, and you can have a product in your store that says ‘Made in USA.’”

California Sportswear
Founded in 1994, Single sells in higher-end department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, as well as higher-end specialty stores and boutiques around the world such as Tootsies in Texas, Montmartre in New York and Mendocino and Want in Canada. Although the company started as a sportswear maker, over the years it became well known as a dress resource. For Fall, Sobolev is returning to the brand’s sportswear roots with a collection of luxe separates Sobolev calls “California dress-up casual.”

“If you look at the way people are dressing today, it’s a lot easier for a girl when she’s going on a date to run in and buy two new blouses to wear with her favorite leather legging or skinny jean,” she said. “Unless she needs a dress for a specific occasion, I’m seeing more of a turn to an easy, casual kind of dressed-up sportswear. It doesn’t mean we’re not doing dresses anymore. There’s still two or three dresses in every group, and we still have
our assortment for our customers that are very much into dressing that career gal.”

Private-label businessIn addition to Single, the company has a strong private-label business manufacturing for a handful of brands and retailers.

The company also produces exclusive Single collections for retailers such as the White Single Dress label, which sells at Rue La La.

“We do thousands of structured dresses for Boston Proper, and we have for the last 15 years,” Sobolev said. “That’s the beauty of being able to turn a 600-unit reorder in three to five weeks domestically.”

The Sobolevs’ private-label business has grown organically as word gets out that the company is a resource for brands looking for domestic production. “We have become kind of like the Intelof the fashion community,” Sobolev said. “[People will say,] ‘You want to make something domestically? Call the people at Single. They can turn things in two to three weeks.’”

New Brand Extensions
The company recently added plus sizes for Saks and has since expanded the offering to other retailers, such as e-tailer Madison Plus. Although still in the early stages, the plus-size capsule collection fills a void in the contemporary market for plus sizes.

“There aren’t a lot of choices for the [contemporary plus-size] consumer,” Sobolev said. “We really invested in developing the blocks, and we got a great fit model.”

“I would love to turn this into more of a proper business—have it not just be a small capsule segment but really expand it on various levels,” she said.

Another new concept in the works is the Single men’s underwear line developed by the Sobolevs’ 24-year-old son, Julian. Still in the test stages, the collection features the Single name and an American flag on the elastic waistband.

Just as Single is committed to domestic production, Galina Sobolev said she wishes more manufacturers and retailers would commit to Made in America product. Retailers, in particular, could highlight American-made products in their stores, she said.

“Why not have a section for Made in USA?” she said. “The manufacturers today have a responsibility—we all, as Americans, have a responsibility—to this country and the security of its economy and the future for our children.”

SOURCE: Apparel News

MAM Teamhttps://www.themadeinamericamovement.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Made-in-America-Movement-Logo_340x156.pngMAM Team2014-05-15 11:49:382014-11-10 14:12:04Brand Building on Made in America Foundation

Norton’s U.S.A. celebrates 6 years of made in the U.S.A. with fun events and deals (Posted By Melissa Schwartz, Community Contributor / June 3, 2013)

Melissa Schwartz

Norton’s U.S.A., a uniquely American General Store in Barrington, is celebrating its 6th anniversary this month! For the past 6 years, Deborah Leydig has shared her passion for discovering and purveying an unparalleled collection of American-made goods through Norton’s U.S.A. Deborah and her employees are excited to share their celebration with the customers and community that have helped make it all possible. When you purchase an American-made good, you are helping your fellow Americans, your neighbors and your friends. Norton’s U.S.A. will be celebrating with some fun for the community and some fabulous deals!

From June 11-15, 2013, Norton’s U.S.A. will be sharing its special anniversary deals and events. Each day of the week will feature a discount in a different department of the store. There will also be daily raffles ($50 retail value). On Thursday June 13, Norton’s U.S.A. will be holding a lively Bingo Night. From 6PM-8PM, participants will have the chance to win gift certificates worth up to $25!

On Saturday June 15, the store will be part of the Barrington Summer Wine Walk from 2PM-6PM. The celebration fun continues with a family movie night on Saturday June 15 beginning at 9PM. The movie night will feature a showing of “Fly Away Home” right on the store! To add to the family fun, complimentary popcorn and lemonade will be served. So, be sure to grab your chair and blanket and head over to the store for the free event! If you would like to shop before the movie, plan to arrive at the store at 8PM.

For more details on the magnificent deals at Norton’s U.S.A., please check the website at www.nortonsusa.com.
Norton’s U.S.A. is excited to celebrate with you!

Norton’s U.S.A. is located at 400 Lageschulte St,, Barrington, IL 60010. Normal store hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: 10:00AM-5:00PM. The store is open Thursday 11AM-7PM. There are special hours during events. The online store is always open at www.nortonsusa.com.

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NORRIDGE — Open barely two months, Boutique3 is striving to offer clothing and accessories made in this country.

“We’re trying to stock all made-in-America labels,” said Carrie Ann Esposito, a Norridge resident and one of three partners in the business at Regency Plaza, 5050 N. Cumberland Ave. “We do our own buying, but it’s difficult to find vendors.”

Eva DeFilippis of Elmwood Park has wanted to find space to open a boutique for some time.

The graduate of Trinity High School in River Forest has a background in clothing.

“My dad was a tailor and owned a clothing store,” DeFilippis said. “We kept some of the fixtures from that store, and now those racks are in this store.

“It’s like he’s here with us,” she said with a smile.

DeFilippis’ Deva Salon, now in its third incarnation, is a couple of doors down from Boutique3, in the same plaza.

“I never seemed to have the space for the boutique,” she said. “I first opened (Deva Salon) 14 years ago near Irving Park Road and Cumberland.

“I moved into a larger space (in Regency Plaza) and again to an even larger space,” she said. “But I still didn’t have the room.

“So when this place was available, I thought this would be perfect.”

Joining Esposito and DeFilippis in this venture is DeFilippis’ sister-in-law, Geralyn.

Esposito, a surgical assistant by trade and friends with the DeFilippis women, said she always wanted to be her own boss.

“Owning my own business has been a vision for me, a goal,” Esposito said. “But it’s so hard to start a business.”

Among the reasons the women find the shop so rewarding, they said, is they can bring to the area quality fashions at reasonable prices compared to other, similar stores in the surrounding communities. And a lot of the products in competing shops, they said, are made abroad, with China dominating the labels.

Eva DeFilippis said her inspiration to open Boutique3 was the lack of choices for one-of-a-kind clothing in the area.

“No woman wants to look like everyone else,” she said. “In the 1980s, we used to shop boutiques.

“Then something happened, and the little specialty stops disappeared,” she noted. “We want to bring back that unique shopping experience.”

Esposito agreed.

“Even though we haven’t been open that long, we have quite a few customers who say this shop is so convenient,” she noted. “And more and more people are looking at the label to see if it was made here.”

Specializes in affordable fashions made in the United States
Hours: 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Hours to expand during the summer season; adding mother-of-the-bride dresses in the fall
Closed Monday

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The folks over at GOOD/Corps were in touch with us last night regarding this awesome opportunity for our followers. First of all, we are excited that we are on their radar! Wooohooo- The Movement is spreading! So keep doing what you are all doing… sharing our page and raising awareness.

By participating in the What Works Project, you’ll have a chance to win $500! Your participation will be turned into donations for non-profit partners across the country that support job creation and training. There are several ways to participate and donate to the Non-Profit of the Week:

Submit a photo of what works in your world – the innovations, innovators, technologies, cutting-edge practices, machines, scientific discoveries, organizations and other features of life that work to advance America. For each submission, GE will donate $1 to our Non-Profit of the Week supporting American jobs.

Support all your favorite photos by pushing the heart in the upper-left corner. Every time you “Heart” a photo submission, GE will donate $1 to the Non-Profit of the Week.

Win. Each week five submissions that capture the spirit of the What Works Project weekly prompt will be selected by a Guest Judge, GE and GOOD/Corps to receive a $500 prize.

The deadline to submit is Sunday, April 8, at 8:59pm Pacific Standard Time.

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